I toured The Daily Orange before I even committed to Syracuse University. I’m not sure if Richard Perrins remembers me bombarding him with the most awkward slate of questions known to man, but I do.

This house has been the only consistent thing about my college experience so far. And even though I’ve complained again and again about burning out too early and needing to be part of anything else, I actually have no idea what I’m going to do without these people at 5 p.m. Sundays-Wednesdays.

Thank you to everyone who somehow trusted me enough to make it to management with two bylines and two editorial boards to my name. You’re all delusional, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the time I’ve spent at 230 Euclid.

—

Cassie: You’re ready for this. More than you think you are. Your care for the paper and its people runs deeper than I’ve seen in just about everyone else. You know when to ask questions and how to hold your ground and that’s half the job. Just trust yourself.

Sophie: You’re my mentor, my friend and always the person I can reach out to when something completely absurd happens. Thank you for trusting me to carry on what you built last semester and for always being there whenever I need someone to talk to, whether it be about work or something entirely unprofessional. You’re incredibly talented and beyond impressive, and to have you in my corner defines what working here has given me. I swear I won’t turn into a robot next semester if you promise to not be a hobbit. Love you always.

Hamere: You trusted me more than I deserved and helped me find the confidence to stay here for so long. No one fights like you do. I didn’t really take any shit over the past two semesters because I was blessed with the wonderful opportunity to learn from the best. Even though our semester together feels like years ago at this point, it was what helped me find my place at The D.O., and I’ll always have so much love and gratitude for you because of that. Can you stop hating management now?

Olivia: I knew you would be Opinion’s next of kin as soon as we interviewed. Maybe I asked you to step up a little too early (or inappropriately early) but nothing has made me prouder than watching you grow into an amazing leader and editor this semester. Thank you for always being a shoulder to lean on. You’re talented in everything you do.

Anish: I can’t believe you convinced me to be Opinion Editor at Cage. Deep down (really deep down) I’m grateful that I was coerced into doing back-to-back semesters just because you’re one of my dearest friends here. You’re the best surrogate brother and my mom is very grateful, which you probably know since she can’t seem to stop texting you. If we’re talking about the newsroom, you led this staff without ever really showing a crack in your exterior outside the management office. Even though the macs you endorse always suck, I’ll say it again: you made your Asian parents proud.

Kyle: We’re the most unexpected duo on this campus. Despite being on opposite ends of the tweak spectrum when it comes to the newsroom, we found a middle ground working together that I love. You always knew when to ask me how I was really doing, even though I tried so hard to never let any of my stress show this year. I can always count on you for real advice and music I beg to turn off. Or the perfect tweet to send my way. Please don’t fall out of touch. I’ll always give you inside information if you ask nicely.

Dig. Assistants: It’s been a wonderful semester of icebreakers. Thank you for being so perfectly digital and for putting up with me every day at 6:30 p.m. I’ll take the secrets we’ve shared to my grave.

Head Eds Fall ‘23: Maybe I’m biased, but I think our time in house together was one of the most entertaining staffs the D.O. has seen. Thank you guys for being so encouraging last year. Missing you all.

Head Eds Spring ‘24: My fellow sophomores, I am so proud of you. Thank you for working as hard as possible this semester. The work produced under your leadership is unreal.

Hannah Karlin: I miss you!!!!!!! Florence doesn’t need you anymore but I do!

Zaso: My mother and my dear friend. I don’t really know when it happened, but now whenever something goes slightly wrong in my life or I do something stupid I feel the impulse to get advice from you. Like when I woke up at 9 a.m. with my leg cut open and the only thing I could think was whether or not you would tell me I needed stitches. Thanks for being the best D.O. big. Happy hour soon.

Neil: F*ck you for leaving. You were the first smart person I met at SU. Maybe when we go to graduate school or law school together in the future you’ll finally have learned how to project your voice. Miss you always. Wish you were here.

Cindy: We were such a frightening digital duo. Maybe. Probably not but I loved that you were by my side through every frustrating moment and especially during every guide. I don’t think anyone else in DSP can even begin to understand what we’ve been through together. Here’s to never doing another Sports guide again.

Kendall: We’re in agreement more often than we’re not. You were an amazing news editor and I hope your time here isn’t done.

Bridget: I don’t know what my time here would’ve been like without you. One of my only regrets is not sitting in visuals more, but I honestly just can’t listen to that much rap. You’ve been the soul of this paper during your Presentation Director reign, and I can’t even put into words the collective gratitude and awe this house has for you. You better not fall out of my life. Let’s do some crazy sh*t.

Soph Lucina: Italy is sick of you. Syracuse is not. Let’s get back here.

Kate Kelley: Haven’t laughed a single bit since you left. The window seat isn’t the same without you.

Schiff: Twin, you were missed. Go do real work now.

Steph Wright: You’re the last Steph standing. I miss our head-ed days, but I think we all knew that was just an interlude into your era. I’ll be watching from a distance, but if you ever need someone to rant to about anything, I’m just a phone call away. Good luck. Do weird shit. You know the drill.

Cooper: The Stef/ph-Cooper era was happening no matter what. I’d lie and say I wish it was me but that just feels performative. Thanks for making Sports a place I actually liked sitting in. You’re going to be an amazing Managing Editor, we all know it.

Justin, Aiden, Zak: The holy trinity of brunettes. Going to miss sitting with the three of you at the worst hours on Wednesday nights. Looking forward to the day you start wearing jeans more frequently.

Nick Jepson: You’re my digital kid. I wish we could chat about random things forever, but you’re going to have to carry on without me. Good luck, you don’t need it.

Head Eds Fall ‘23: Maybe I’m biased, but I think our time in house together was one of the most entertaining staffs The D.O. has seen. Thank you guys for being so encouraging last year. Missing you all.

Samstag: My dear, dear Claire. What a blessing it was to have you across the wall this semester. Our in-house roles never crossed paths as much as our out of house activities, but I’m still thankful that we got to rant to each other. Unfortunately, 230 Euclid is not Miami, so I think we need to go back.

Hank: You started as someone who either hated or loved my graphics, but when I stepped into this role, you became someone I could count on for encouragement to keep going. Thank you for never failing to notice analytics. Thank you for your constant kindness.

Kelmendi: What would I do without my dear roommate who always keeps the lamp on for me. Sorry for leaving you alone for most of the first semester. Thank you for waiting up. Love you so much, Kelmender.

Friends: Hoping to see all of your faces a little more now that I won’t be imprisoned.

Mom, Dad and Kevin: I am so sorry for not calling enough and for constantly being at The D.O and for complaining about my days and for spending too much money on food. Thank you for your support. I love you all so much.

—

Cheers to my third byline. And retirement.

Published on May 6, 2024 at 8:26 pm